"Chimes" is a song by Scottish artist and producer Hudson Mohawke. The song gained attention after its appearance on the MacBook Air TV ad, as well as after Mohawke's success through the likes of

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

and with the TNGHT project. On 21 November an official remix of the song, featuring rappers

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...

, Future, Travis Scott and French Montana, was released as a single. The track was featured on a television advertisement called "Stickers" for the

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

MacBook Air The MacBook Air is a line of ultrabook computers developed and manufactured by Apple Inc. It consists of a full-size keyboard, a machined aluminum case, and, in the more modern versions, a thin light structure. The Air was originally position ...

Background

The track was originally believed to be a collaboration with Canadian producer

Lunice Lunice Fermin Pierre II (born May 15, 1988), better known by his stage name Lunice, is a Canadian record producer and DJ from Montreal. He is one half of the duo TNGHT along with Hudson Mohawke. Biography Lunice is the son of a Filipino mother ...

TNGHT TNGHT is a musical duo consisting of Scottish producer Hudson Mohawke and Canadian producer Lunice, formed in 2011. The duo released their self-titled debut EP to positive reviews in 2012. They announced an indefinite hiatus in late 2013, unti ...

first premiered the unfinished version of the track during BBC Radio 1Xtra's '' Diplo & Friends'' in late 2012, a time which he said was before the

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

trend. "That sound wasn't as prevalent then, and I just sort of made it... it wasn't really meant to be anything," he stated. After the duo went on hiatus in late 2013.

Composition

In contrast to its title, according to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', "there isn’t much that’s peaceful about he song" Starting off with a fairly amiable skittering drum pattern, it’s not long before the doom-laden horn synth kicks in, plus there’s a wolf barking. The "ominous" horn lines was also favorably compared to TNGHT's "Higher Ground" and Kanye West's " Blood on the Leaves", both of which Mohawke worked on.

Critical reception

Writing for ''

'', Hannah Jane Parkinson voted the song as the week's "Best New Track", stating "If the

Grim Reaper Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ...

and

Voldemort Lord Voldemort ( , in the films) is a sobriquet for Tom Marvolo Riddle, a character and the main antagonist in J. K. Rowling's series of ''Harry Potter'' novels. The character first appeared in '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Ston ...

hooked up in a David Cronenberg film, this would be 'their song'."

Remix version

A remix version called "Chimes RMX", which features

, Travis Scott, French Montana and Future, was released on 21 November 2014. Mohawke soon after debuted an

interactive video The term interactive video usually refers to a technique used to blend interaction and linear film or video. History In 1962, Steve Russell, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), created Spacewar!, the world's first inter ...

which has similarities to '' Super Mario 64s menu screen where you can play with the performers' faces.

Usage in media

After "Chimes" was already being mastered and going into manufacture, "by chance", Apple came along and decided that they wanted to use it for their campaign. In late 2019, the song was featured in the trailer for The Last Dance

Track listing

Charts

''Chimes'' EP

''Chimes'' is the eighth

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

by Hudson Mohawke on 29 September 2014 through

Warp Records Warp Records (or simply Warp) is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon.Southern, Richard (2003) "Label of Love: WARP", X-RAY, ...

. The EP includes a 170 bpm

Gammer Matthew Lee (born 1985 in Northampton), known professionally by his stage name Gammer, is an English music producer and DJ. He is best known for his association with UK hardcore, of which he is described as an icon. He is also the co-founder of ...

remix of the track with

UK hardcore Happy hardcore, also known as 4-beat or happycore, is a subgenre of hardcore dance music or "hard dance". It emerged both from the UK breakbeat hardcore rave scene, and Belgian, German and Dutch hardcore techno scenes in the early 1990s. ...

influences, as well as two more new productions titled "Brainwave" and "King Kong Beaver".

Background

After finishing the title track, he decided to release an EP before the full-length album. In July 2015, while debuting the title track, he also announced the release of the album on 30 September and its track list.

Songs

Described by ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'', "Brainwave" is a "brooding

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

" track that "haunted by soaring choir work", which reminiscent of M83. The last track from the EP was a remix of "Chimes" from DJ Gammer.

Critical reception

While ''

''s Jamieson Cox calling the title song the "most fleshed-out track", the other two were said to be "minor" but still do expand Mohawke's repertoire, with the EP "does a fine job of sustaining his momentum."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. * Hudson Mohawke – production (1–3) * Mervyn Bruge – horns (1) * Billy Ray Cunningsnatch – vocals (2) * Maury Ballstein – keyboards (3) * The Kissing Bandito – handclaps (3) *

– edit (4), production (4) * Dick Astley – horns (4)

References

External links

* * {{authority control 2014 songs 2014 singles 2014 EPs Warp (record label) EPs